What it means to be Alive
by ElementalSoldier9819
Summary: Post ending E. 2B, 9S, and A2 have settled down and finally found something worth living for after so much conflict. However, the ghosts of their pasts soon re-emerge and threaten to take away their chance of life that they worked so hard to obtain.
1. Chapter 1

**I've been wanting to post this story for a while, but I've busy. Nier Automata is such an awesome game and I'm surprised how different it was compared to the fantasy setting of the original Nier. Yoko Taro nailed it at making that transition from fantasy to science fiction with the story and lore behind Nier Automata. Anyway, enjoy.**

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It was quiet when 9s awoke. The scanner found himself on top of a building in the city ruins. The sky was blank as it always was.

"Welcome back Unit 9S" Pod 153's monotone voice greeted

"Ugh pod 153, what happened," The scanner model asked his pod.

The attending support unit went into a brief explanation "Unit 9s was last engaged in battle with Unit A2 on top of the tower. both units ended up with mutual termination. Soon after, project YorHa came to an end, However, pod 042 and I acted against our core directives and instead salvaged you and Unit 2B's data. As a result of our experiences, We believe both of you deserve a second chance at life"

"I see" the scanner comprehended "Anyway I need to find 2B"

Pod 153 immediately gave a solution to his next action "Unit 2B's black box signal is heading towards this position. Proposal; descend to the ground"

As he approached the bottom of the building, he could see 2B walking toward his position

"2B, it's really you" the scanner was awed to see his partner again after her supposed death

"9S" the combat android muttered quietly. Once she realized it was really him, she ran over to him and quickly enveloped him into a crushing embrace."Nines! I've missed you so much"

"You don't know how much I've missed you too 2B, but can you let me go now? I can't breathe," 9s said weakly. 2b then released her grip

"Nines, I've been needing to ask, since I was gone, have you learned the truth out about me, about YorHa?"

9s could only nod. With this response, 2B broke down into sobbing "Oh Nines I'm so sorry for what I've done to you! Please don't hate me!" It was true, the disguised executioner model hated killing her partner every time after he had accidentally stumbled across confidential information about the truth behind Project YorHa, but she did it anyway because it was her duty.

"It's ok 2B, you just following orders, but now it's all over, we're free. " the scanner comforted his partner as he wiped away her tears "Let's start a new life, free from YorHa forget all this ever happened"

"Yes," 2B answered. But then suddenly the battle model screamed as she collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain

"Huh? 2B What's wrong" the scanner was out of concern. He was hoping it wasn't anything serious.

"Analysis: Unit 2B still has traces of the logic virus within her System, Proposal: Unit should hack into Unit 2B to clear out the infection" Pos 042 analyzed and confirmed

"Alright, 2B here goes nothing," the scanner said as he started hacking away into His partner's internal systems. the hack was a success, as 2b was no longer in pain, but it came with an unfortunate side effect.

"Forgive me 2B, it looks like the virus was attacking some of your motor functions. I had to disable those so I Could clean it out more easily. It looks like we should head back to the resistance camp to get you patched up." The scanner explained.

"Alright," 2B said with acceptance "But how are going to get there Nines? I can't walk"

"That's not gonna be a problem, just leave it to me" With this 9s put one 2B's arms around his neck, before wrapping his own arms around her torso and knees and lifted her off the ground.

"Nines" 2B blushed as she was in 9s's arms, her once stoic composure now replaced with embarrassment "Do you really have to do this?" it was ironic considering the fact that 2b would always carry 9s whenever he was injured, now this time, he was the one was doing it to her.

"Come on 2B," the white-haired scanner said with a grin "Just consider this what humans call a bonding exercise"

Despite the fact that 2B weighed heavier than 9s, the scanner was still able to carry 2B bridal style with ease. During the trek there, there were still some machines in the area, but they didn't bother to attack them. This surprised 2B, but 9s figured out why they weren't hostile.

"They're not attacking us?" the battle model wondered.

"I saw the network 2B," 9s told her "After I died, the machines, they had an ark, Adam told me they had a new purpose and were leaving to find a new world. Of course, they invited me to join them, but I decided not to. It was only then that I realized my hatred toward machines was irrational"

When they got to the camp, 9s ran into someone he'd never thought he'd see again, it was a prototype android with long hair and tattered clothes. The one who killed 2b or so he thought. The infamous YorHa deserter A2.

"Hmph' She smirked toward them, "Well look who it is, I didn't think you two would be alive as well."

"You" 9s Clenched his teeth. he immediately set 2B down before proceeding to run up to A2 and tackle her to the ground. In his mind, there was no way in hell he was going to let this fugitive harm his precious 2B again.

"No!" 2B pleaded, but was powerless to intervene "Nines Stop!"

The scanner soon had the prototype pinned to the floor, trying to bash her face in for all the horrible things he thought she done.

"How are you still alive?!" 9s growled as he threw a punch to A2's face "Don't think I forgot what you've done! Killing 2B and Operator 21O!"

"Calm down 9s," A2 said rationally, making little effort to fight back, "I think it's best if we just talk about this"

"Talk" 9s scoffed as he continued his beatdown "What do you know about talking?! I won't let you take away 2b again!"

"ARGH!' A2 groaned in pain as the scanner punched her in the face again " Listen 9s, I will only say this once. 2B asked me to kill her!"

"What" 9s was in shock before he could throw another fist at her

"She's right Nines," 2B said weakly as she crawled up to them "Let me explain"

With the scanner distracted, A2 had finally managed to throw 9s off her

She then glared at him "You're lucky I still have a sense of compassion, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to cut you down where you stand," The prototype said to the scanner with a warning, she had nothing more than a bloody nose. "Don't do that again"

9s sighed "Just help me get 2b into the infirmary" A2 and 9s then supported 2B as they helped walk over her to a bed in the infirmary

After 2B was repaired and had managed to explain what really happened around the circumstance of her death, 9s soon felt regretful for how acted toward A2 not just recently, but also in the past

"I'm truly sorry A2," 9s said with his head down "If only I had known sooner, this would all have been avoided. If anything I should be thanking you. You did the right thing"

"Don't sweat it kid" A2 reassured him but was met with surprise when the scanner hugged her, the only thing she could do was hug him back.

"I suffered so much, that I all I could think about was making the pain stop" 9s started sobbing. A2 could only pat his back in response as 9S kept crying

A2 could only keep comforting 9s "That's it 9s, just let it all out" Afterwards the scanner loosened his embrace on the prototype finally making peace with himself and letting go of his grudge against A2. Afterward, The 3 androids decided to have a casual conversation

"Now you two understand why I deserted YorHa." A2 explained to 2B and 9S "They considered us androids nothing more than disposable. So now that the war is over, What are you two gonna do now?"

9s soon went into explaining his intentions "Yeah, Most of the machines are gone, and the few that are remaining won't even bother to attack us" "Since Humanity's dead, most of us don't have any reason to fight. So I'm guessing the only thing me and 2b can do now is just settle down. I for one would like to continue researching more about humans. What are your plans A2?"

"I'm just gonna stay here and help out the resistance for a bit." A2 answered "Anemone's thinking on making peace with the few remaining machines on the planet and I fully intend to help her see that through. a world where androids and machines can exist side by side." It was true that A2 hated machines with a passion and originally wanted to see all of them destroyed, but after interacting with Pascal and the villagers who were disconnected from the network, she had a change of heart realized that not all machines were the same. With the network gone, the remaining machines had no reason to attack the surviving androids.

2B went up to both of them

"9s" 2B said to her partner "there are some abandoned buildings we could reside in, so I was thinking, why don't the two of us build a house?."

"A house?" the scanner was confused "You mean those buildings where humans used to live in?"

"Think of it as a symbol of a new start for us both. We've been given a second chance at life, and I want to spend it with you, Nines." the battle model explained. She loved him more than anything in the world

"Alright" 9s smiled "let's go to the City Ruins"

With this, the two left the Resistance Camp, holding hands. This was just the beginning of a new start for the three of them, free from war and suffering.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Guys I know it's been awhile since I last got back to this fic, but no worries I had no intention of leaving you hanging and I'm certainly not abandoning this fic. It's just that life can get in the way sometimes since I'm in school and things can get really busy for me to the point where that writing fics often becomes one of the last things on my to-do list. I only thought how the events in this chapter would play out in the past few days. Nonetheless hope you like it.**

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A2 found herself in a field of pure whiteness, not unlike the tower. She soon saw some medium flyers and bipeds advance toward her, preparing to attack

 _More machines. Just my day_

When A2 got to the end of the hall there was a group of three small stubbies, they didn't do anything but just stood there. Impulsively, A2 did what she had always done; wipe out every machine she sees, so she rushed toward them full of Vengeance and hate. Just as A2 was about to run them through or slice them apart, something caught her eye. She saw that the stubbies were prostrating towards her. They dared not fight back.

"Please Don't kill us!" The first one pleaded

"What did we do to deserve this?" The last one asked out of fear

"We Surrender, You can do whatever you want with me, but please let my friends go" The stubby in the center begged in a monotonic voice

Immediately A2 knew couldn't bring herself do it for some reason. Without realizing, she just dropped her sword on the ground. What was this feeling she was experiencing? Her usual hatred towards machines just..vanished

"Going soft now?" A voice spoke from behind. When she turned around she saw the voice came from none other than ... herself? Was she hallucinating seeing a reflection herself?

"W-who are you?" The Attacker android asked

"Why I'm you of course" the reflection spoke before facing the prostrating small machines. "What are you waiting for? Go on and Finish them!"

A2 just shook her head, hesitating slightly "I-I can't do that"

"And why not?" The reflection of A2 asked impatiently.

"Because... I saw how defenseless they were. Looking back, I've cut down thousands of machines in my quest for Vengeance. But no matter how many I killed I could never feel satisfied. So what did killing all those machines do for me in the long run? Nothing. It also made me realize something, not all machine lifeforms are the same nature. Some feel pain, emotions, fear even hate, just like how androids are programmed to, so what's the point in killing those who can't and won't fight back?" A2 asked her reflection rhetorically

"What's the point?!" The apparition of A2 seethed before going off in a furious tirade "Have you forgotten what the machines did?! THEY KILLED SO MANY OF US ANDROIDS! ALL THE COMRADES WE'VE LOST WAS BECAUSE OF THEM! And now you're just going to let those scum of the earth live like they never wronged you?! They deserve NO MERCY!"

"No! I haven't forgotten and I'll never forget! " A2 shouted to the apparition of herself "Even still, I used to be just like you. I thought killing every machine in existence would somehow make things better! But even if I killed every goddamn machine on this planet, it won't bring Rose and the others we've lost back! So I'm done killing every machine I see on sight! I will no longer be a vengeful monster who is trapped in perpetual suffering!"

"So be it" the phantasm A2 declared in response "If you're not going to do it then I certainly will!" She then manifested a type 4O sword.

Before A2 could even think about stopping her reflection, she immediately found herself with a blade impaled through her.

"Pathetic. I definitely won't be needing you anymore" The Phantasm A2 spat before removing the weapon "To think I would allow myself to show compassion toward machines, such weakness. But no longer, with that gone, I will wipe out every last Machine there is! All of them deserve to die!"

 _No, What have I become? Why did I have to feel hate?_ The attacker android murmured her thoughts out loud as she bled out and lost consciousness, undone by a manifestation of her past callousness

A2 opened her eyes then realized she was in the resistance camp. She couldn't describe what it is she just experienced but knew that it wasn't pleasant.

"Hey, No.2 You've been tuning out for the last hour or so?" Anemone said

"Yes, I just had some unpleasant...Hallucinations" She couldn't come up with better words to describe what humans called a nightmare

"I'd like your input how we should approach with making peace with the remaining machines"

A2 thought for a moment before answering "Pascal's village is a good starting point. You have done some trading with them, so the relationship we have with them is stable I guess having them negotiate with the machines in the surrounding areas would work. I really don't know, I'm not good with all this diplomacy stuff. Maybe you can ask 2B and 9S the next time they're here " A2 answered slouching on the bench

"Hm. Very Well" Anemone said

"If that's all, I'm heading out." The attacker android declared. Before Anemone could ask where she was going A2 was already gone.

As A2 walked through the City Ruins, the attacker android clutched her head trying to keep her sanity stable.

 _Get ahold of yourself, You've been through a lot, but everything's over now. Don't kill any machines unless they attack first_

If there was one place she needed to go, it was to the residence of the one Machine Lifeform she could call a friend.

Meanwhile, 2B and 9S were busy scouting out buildings in the City ruins looking for a nice place they could call home. They eventually settled in on the top floor of an abandoned apartment overlooking the Amusement Park. The apartment Unit had three rooms, a main living area with two empty rooms on the side, it was mostly dark with no lighting.

"Ok this looks like a good place to settle down, the view looks nice" 9s commented

"Not to mention the altitude could allow us to monitor any potential dangers," 2B said in a practical tone.

"Yeah Like that would ever occur. Anyway, This place looks empty, Pod any suggestions on what to do from here" The scanner Inquired

"According to old world Data, Humans have Furnished their living spaces with items such as Beds, chairs, and tables. Proposal: Gather Materials for these items" 153 Suggested.

With that, the Former Battle and Scanner Androids got to work, WHile 2B went to find some suitable Materials to build furniture, 9S Stayed behind decided to install a lighting system in the apartment

Soon the abandoned apartment was refurbished to a more suitable ambiance with white panels on the walls and floors. Mattresses were placed in the two smaller rooms, while a couch lined the main room with some rugs 9S had found once he finished with the lighting

"9S Where did get all these Panels to come from" 2B inquired dumbfounded, SHe didn't recognize the sudden change in decor when she came back with some chairs

"Oh, they were just lying around in the chasm. I thought They just make our new home look nicer to compliment the lights I've just installed" The scanner replied, omitting the fact that they were from the remains of the Machine Built tower. 2B just accepted without saying any else, before another object caught her eye. It was large and had a flat-screen, not unlike the monitors used in the Bunker.

"What's this some sort of Monitor?" 2B wondered, not knowing what it was

"Oh this is what humans called a Television or TV for short, They supposedly used these for entertainment. I'm planning on taking this apart along with some other junk I've and studying it" The Scanner model said. The Former Battle Model couldn't stop her partner, SHe couldn't even imagine how humans would use that

"You seem to be very into studying Human Artifacts Nines " The battle Android commented

"What Can I say 2B? I've always been fascinated with what humans have done" The Scanner said enthusiastically. It was true, both of them were free to whatever they wanted now without any orders or duty in their way.

With that in mind, 2B smiled before taking off her visor and sitting on the couch getting some shut-eye. Their new home now complete, she was free to finally get some well-deserved relaxation. At last, Emotions were no longer prohibited for the two of them.

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 **A2 might seem a little bit OOC in this fic. The dream sequence at the beginning of the chapter is supposed to be her coming to terms with her past and moving on. I got this idea from ending D where 9S lets go of his hatred for machines, realizing it was irrational. If he can think that way, why not A2 as well? Still, I don't feel confident about it, Let me know what you think of it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Guys, here's the third chapter. I'm trying to dedicate some more time into this fic since I got a ton of new i** **[D]eas**.

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At the village, Pascal, it's former pacifist leader was just cleaning up scrap. The place once a lively prosperous village was now a dump with its former leader having lost his sense of identity.

"Oh it's you" Pascal greeted "I haven't seen you in weeks"

"I just had a lot of things to worry about and I can see this place is still a pile of scrap heap" A2 Pascal.

"Yes, I'm still in the process of cleaning Everything up, I'm not sure why this place is such as mess."

The Attacker android could only comment "You seem lonely. Perhaps having someone you could talk to would make you more optimistic"

"I suppose it would be nice" Pascal could only say "By the way A2, do you mind telling me who was I back then?"

A2 thought for a moment before answering "Where your standing now is your own home. You always hated fighting and violence and led a village of peaceful machines living in isolation. Then a series of tragedies befell your village to the point where you asked me to either wipe your memories or kill you."

It's true. The moment went Pascal discovered the children of the village had committed suicide all because of fear, it drove him to the brink of despair. A2 could completely understand how he felt to lose people he cared about, just like how A2 lost her own comrades in the Pearl Harbor descent mission. At that time, she never imagined she could feel empathy toward a machine like Pascal.

 _I was so naive back then, I guess machines really are alive. They can feel pain, loss, fear even hate_

As A2 left the Village, she just happened to go in the direction of the Amusement park, where a medium Biped was holding a small biped along with two small stubbies at gunpoint. This exact moment mirrored what she saw in her dream, so she decided to take action

"Why am I here?! why I am here?! Everything in existence must die" The medium biped said like crazy. The small machines could only cower in panic

"Please whatever you do take me but, let my brothers go " the small biped begged.

"I'm scared" THe stubby on the left said

It wasn't long until the medium Biped found itself with a blade impaled through its chest before falling to the ground dead. Behind it was A2.

"A-Android! are you Here to kill us?" The small biped got in front of the stubbies. It was clearly educated by its dead parents that androids were out to kill machines.

"It's ok," A2 said approaching with caution trying to not instill more fear into the small machines "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk. Are you three all alone?"

"Yes." the Small Biped "We were at the Amusement park, but bad machine attacked and killed our Parents. We ran away until he cornered us. There is nowhere else we can go now. My brothers are scared of what's out there"

A2 just had a solution "I know a place where you can call home, follow me"

The small machines were then lead back by A2 to the village.

"Hey Pascal" A2 called out to the "I found some machines you can talk to. They're only children by the way"

"Ah alright," Pascal said as she finished picking up all the scrap lying around "I will make them welcomed"

"Android. Thank you for saving us" The small biped expressed gratitude. A2 just patted the Biped on the head before kneeling down to the three machine siblings

"Listen, you three, I want to tell you something" The attacker model spoke "The reason why I saved you is that I didn't like who I was back then. I killed so many machines even children like yourselves. So now I have to atone for my sins. Promise me that whatever happens, Please don't feel hate. Hating others will only lead you to do bad things, just as it did to me."

A2 could only tearfully reminiscent of the times where the only thing she felt was hate. At that time, every couple hours or so she would go on a relentless killing spree leaving nothing but piles of Machine corpses in her wake. She didn't care whether those machines did not attack her, she wanted all of them wiped off the face of the earth.

But now it was a thing of the past, she regretted every Moment of it. If she killed machines that did not attack, what would that make her? A murderer? A monster?

"A2 are you Crying?" Pascal asked,

The attacker Model held in the tears, maintaining her composure "It's nothing Pascal. If there's anything else I want you to know about who you were., It's that You and your village were in a partnership with my allies. They're thinking about making a peace treaty with the remaining machine lifeforms. Once you're done rebuilding try to reach out others in the area. You'd make a great leader"

"I see" Pascal "Thank you A2. I will get started immediately"

A2 then left the village, deciding to head back to the resistance camp

 _I Guess Pascal's Influence must've_ _rubbed off on me. I can't fix what I've done in the past, but I can make a better future_

In the City Ruins, 9s was on the roof of their new residence hooking up what loke like a satellite dish. WHen 2B Came back after a brief outing, it was the first thing she saw

"Nines" 2B called out "Mind telling me what you're doing up there"

"Oh 2B "9S said, waving "According to some old world data, the TV I found requires a satellite dish to function properly and I'm trying to get it set up" He was using pod 153's external connection ports to serve as a temporary uplink modulator

"Analysis: This pod does not appreciate being uplinked to old-world technology. Proposal: Please disconnect immediately" the female monotone voice said with displeasure

"Forgive me Pod 153, I just need you in there for a few more minutes," the scanner told his pod

"Acknowledged," The Female Pod said in response "Attending support unit was only emulating the action of what humans call 'trolling"

9s could only chuckle at the response, after crossing a few more wires, he was able to get the satellite dish in sync with the TV.

"Yes Finally connected, now I can finally see what's inside," The scanner said like a kid in a Candy Store

WHen hew turned on the TV all he could see on was a bunch of static noise

"Oh come on" 9S complained, "This has got to show me something. How exactly did humans use these things?"

It was then that 2B came, wearing some different clothes, a simplistic black cardigan, white t-shirt, jeans and knee high boots.

"Nines, I've got some new clothes for you" The battle android said "Please try them on"

"Alright 2B," the scanner said as he put on the clothes. They were a black hoodie, jeans of a similar color to 2B, and black shoes.

"These are really nice, where did you get these?" The scanner could only ask

"I found them lying around the Shopping center near. They're surprisingly still well intact, so I thought I'd take them" The former battle model android answered

In a Remote Location on the Moon, unaware of the resistance and machine lifeforms, two silhouetted figures were reporting to each other in an office

"Director we have received reports that the newest State of the art YorHA androids have been recently completed. All units have been constructed in accordance with data gathered in the 14th Machine War. A new bunker to house said androids is also nearing completion. However, if the reports are true that the consensus of the machine lifeform consciousness has left the planet in an Ark, then it will be problematic as it means there will be no longer a study supply of machine lifeforms." A female figure reported to her superior

"Oh don't worry," The Male Voice said without Concern leaning back in his chair "The loss of the Machine lifeform consensus is only a temporary setback. To account for this, data was gathered from several downed alien Motherships during the last Machine war and implemented in several factories spread out across the planet. So that way, we still have a neverending supply of cannon fodder for our new toys to rip apart."

"How Should we proceed sir?" the female figure asked her superior

"Just continue like usual and condition our new tools, broadcasts the fabricated audio recordings by prototype No. 9 to make them believe they are fighting to reclaim Earth for the long-extinct humans. After Conditioning, designate a commander for YorHa to lead them and Make sure all our new factories producing machine lifeforms are running at peak efficiency but hidden in plain sight from the androids. Once that's all done, commencement of the 15th Machine war can begin. " the Male figure proclaimed

"Very Well sir," The female figure said "I'll make sure broadcasts are up and running"

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 **Should have the next chapter up soon. If anyone wants to help me co-write this, send me a message**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long with this, I know I said I was going to have this chapter posted, but sometimes life, as well as writer's block, gets in the way. Honestly, it's all thanks to your support that I'm motivated to keep this fic going. And given the timing, I can't believe it's been exactly one year since I first published this.**

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Anemone and A2 were at the resistance camp discussing their next plan of action for the peace treaty

"The Machines at the forest kingdom seem to be very Isolationist. Could you go over there and give them a message?" The resistance leader asked

"Why me? " A2 could only ask "Can't you have Pascal do it? he's a machine, after all, so he's probably better at sweet-talking them than an android ever will. Besides, they're hostile towards outsiders. "

"As you and I both know, Pascal is in the middle of rebuilding and we need to least try to reach out to the forest kingdom. So can you do it?" Anemone requested

"I'll try" The attacker android responded, "But I'm not making any promises that this will go well."

"Well if you're stuck, just read this" Anenome could only provide A2 a piece of paper with improvisation of what to say

As A2 left the resistance camp and made her way to the forest kingdom, she had begun to reflect on everything that had occurred throughout her existence. In the forest, she made her way towards the castle. At the entrance of the castle, she found a group of armored machines a training session.

"Hail" A2 Called out

"What Business does an Android have with us?" The Machine commander could only, putting a halt to the drilling session.

"I come with a message. 'We of the Android resistance would like to make an accord with the machines of your kingdom in an effort to establish friendly relations in the years to come. With both the Machine network and YorHa gone, we see no need to continue this futile conflict '"

"That will take time. With the king is dead, the kingdom has been fractured, between isolationist and liberalists. For now, all we can comprehend is that Androids are responsible. "

As soon as A2 took out her type 4O sword and set it on the ground as a gesture of goodwill.

"That Sword! It's the same one the androids used that killed our king. She has it, so it means she killed the king! " All the subordinates just looked at A2.

"I hate to admit this. The one who killed your king was me." A2 could only say out of guilt.

"Eliminate her! Avenge the King!" The machine lifeform commanded.

"For Our King!" The armored machines were rallied and soon began to chase after the attacker android, seeking to avenge their assassinated king.

"Shit" A2 murmured, running towards the exit. She didn't want to fight back, she was done with being consumed with vengeance. Along the way, she had to cut down some machines that were obstructing her path. not that she had anything personal against them, but because she had no choice.

"Close call" The attacker Android could only say to herself once she was out and the coast was clear "Guess there's no reasoning with them. They've become consumed by Vengeance"

 _All because of me. Their king's blood is on my hands_

The task would've been so much easier if she just hadn't killed forest king, who was just a defenseless baby. The only thing she could do now was head back to the resistance camp. Arbitrarily she decided to head to the flooded city for some peace and quiet to herself.

Meanwhile, 2B and 9S had spent the day in the flooded city fishing.

2B had managed to catch mostly organic fish, with 9s getting mostly machine fish

"How is it I end up getting all the machine fish, while you get the normal fish" 9s groaned as pod 042 fetched up another Bream Machine

"Maybe they seem to be attracted to your hacking" 2B teased

"Yeah right," the scanner said as he took a sip from a bottle of beer. According to some old-world info he looked up, it was considered one of humanity's greatest beverages. E Humanity was pretty much extinct, so their rules no longer applied.

"Man," 9s said feeling refreshed before taking out another bottle "I can see why humans like drinking this so much. Have a sip 2B"

The Scanner offered the battle android another bottle, only to see her chugging down a giant container labeled 'diesel', which she had fished up out of the ocean

"i am good nqines" 2B spoke slurringly, "i think uthis is refreshing enoudgh"

9S was Dumfounded "Uh, 2B what did you just put into your system?"

"just thifs stuff yhere. have no idea what it is, baut it's the best stuff i've ever had"

9s just facepalmed. His databases knew 2B was in state humans called 'drunk. He knew that humans had only reached that state if that drank beer or some other kind of alcohol, but now theorized that it was possible for android to reach that state by ingested a large amount of Diesel. The Scanner soon saw a familiar face standing not too far away from them, just sitting alone

"Hey A2!" 9s called out cheerfully "Come join us."

A2 turned to see it was 9s. "2B, 9s, never thought I'd run into you two here"

9s could only ask curiously "How are things at the camp?"

A2 could only sigh. "Making peace with machines seems like a pretty bold move. If anything, this has shown me how wrong I was to hate them" She then eyed 2B who was wobbling while walking.

"Trust me, I feel the same way A2. I'm hoping peace is possible. With humanity extinct, we androids have nothing to fight for, so it's best to move on. But first, think you could do something about her?" the scanner scratched his head before pointing to 2B who promptly walked up to the both of them. A2 just nodded

"Ah A2, good to see you. do you kgnow wherei-" but was cut off when her predecessor just backhanded her without even looking, staggering her back and snapping the battle android out of her intoxicated state

"Don't take it personally" A2 Shook her head

"Sorry" 2B said slightly embarrassed from being wasted "Just got a little carried away"

"I don't mean to interrupt your little fishing trip, but could you two do me a favor?" The Attacker android could only ask

"What is it?" 2b could only ask

"Well it's something I tried to do, but couldn't. It does require you to go to the forest kingdom. Head to the camp if you want more details." Was all the attacker android could say.

"Proposal: Units 2B and 9s should head to the resistance camp to check for status quo" Pod 042 chimed in

Not long after both 2B and 9s left to head to resistance camp taking their catch with them, she decided to head back as well, but suddenly A2 felt like she heard an explosion, before suddenly dropping to the floor, clutching her head. Feeling something red was in her CPU.

"Nngh, What's going on? Why does my head feel-" the attacker android spoke out loud before passing out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Finally got this chapter finished, sorry I'm taking so long with updating consistently. Life gets in the way sometimes.**

* * *

2B and 9S had arrived at the Resistance camp following their fishing trip, there Anemone had instantly greeted them. The resistance leader had been quite busy trying several forms of outreach to the machines in the area.

"Ah 2B, 9s" Anemone smiled "I haven't seen you here in awhile"

"Anemone, A2 said you had details on a task in the forest kingdom?" 2B inquired

"Yes," The resistance leader acknowledged "I sent her out to do a negotiation with the forest kingdom,, but she hasn't returned yet."

9s spoke up "She came to us, telling us she tried to do it, but couldn't. so she asked us."

Anemone nodded "I see, well if you could pick up where she left off. That would be great. Establishing a relationship with a forest kingdom should strengthen our cause of peace"

"Seeing that we have nothing to do at the moment, Let's go Nines." 2B Smiled.

"Yeah yeah," The scanner said in a deadpan toned "It seems we never get a break for anything involving machines. But now I may have to chance to do what I've always wanted, which is studying them as much as possible. "

When the two Androids arrived at the forest kingdom, they had seen an unusually interesting sight. Large groups of Machines dressed in armor, signaling that they were affiliated with the forest kingdom were across each other form the river. They split into two groups and each group was bearing two different flags indicating.

"Looks like they're in conflict with each other" 9S noticed "2B before we do anything let's observe"

2B could only nod at his suggestion. The 2 androids then decided to hide in some nearby shrubs in order to listen in on what was going on

"Are you Mad?! The traditions of the Forest kingdom shall always be never to trust outsiders" the Isolationist machine leader declared

"You are wrong. With the king dead and the network went the only way for us to survive is to reach out to band together with the desert community as well as the village" The liberalist leader defended his cause.

All of a sudden three normal small stubbies and 2 medium bipeds landed amongst the group

"Such underhanded tactics! Now you liberals have the ruse to spring an ambush on us" The ISolationsit machine leader accused

"What are you talking about? they are not affiliated with us." The Liberalist leader could only say dumbfounded

Without warning the 5 machines an unleashed a power emp blast that left both sides of the forest kingdom unable to act. Soon after more medium bipeds landed on their position along with a goliath biped. These machines began attacking both factions of the forest kingdom

"We're under attack from outsiders!" a small biped reported.

"That's not good" 2B commented. "Nines, what should we do?"

"Intervening will only serve to escalate the 3-way conflict between the machines. Proposal: Units 2B and 9S should withdraw immediately" Pos 042 intervened

"We'll only make things worse if we try to intervene. Let's head back to camp" the scanner said acting on the proposal. The battle android could only agree.

When the two ex Yorha androids returned to the camp, they reported their progress to Anemone.

"It's unfortunate you were unable to make any progress" Anemone responded

"Given how hostile the forest kingdom is to outsiders and their conflict between each other as well as an unknown group of machines, we figured intervening wasn't the best course of action" The Scanner said scratching his head.

"I can totally understand why A2 wasn't able to do that task. Would sending an android to attempt to parlay be a good idea?" 2B wondered

Anemone just nodded in acknowledgment before offering another suggestion "In that case, if an android is unable to handle the negotiation. There is someone who certainly can."

"Really? Who?" 9S asked out curiosity.

"Pascal"

 _Commencing Systems Check_

 _Warning System Overheating: Currently entering sleep mode_

"Greetings and welcome to my City" A voiced called out

"Where the hell am I who are you?!" A2 said with a tone of animosity in her voice

"You may call me Adam and there is no need for hostilities. However should you attack me, I am capable of sending you straight to your untimely demise. So it's best to put the sword away and we can talk."

The attacker android just did as Adam suggested, no point in picking fights she didn't know she could win.

Adam led A2 to a circular table where another being resembling him, was sitting down reading a book. Except he had shorter hair and was shirtless.

"Please have a seat," Adam said as he sat down. A2 promptly did as well.

"Have a drink" the short-haired male offered to pour some wine into a glass.

As A2 ingested the foreign liquid she found it surprisingly refreshing.

"Now both of us may not look like it, but we are actually machines. Once adversaries of the androids, now just humble voyagers looking for a new place to call home "

"He's not lying, you know" Eve backed him up

The attacker android didn't want to believe what the long-haired man had said to her. She didn't immediately go into a blind rage upon that revelation.

"So you admit it. I suppose could kill you right now if I wanted to. But there's no point in that."

"What does android like yourself think about us machines?"

"..."

"It's a simple question" Eve grinned "Why take so long to think about it?"

A2 then finally gave them an answer "I...always had a burning hatred for machines."

"Ah, Hatred" The long-haired machine was piqued "That is the one thing that fascinates me the most. Care to elaborate?"

"They killed all my friends. I wanted nothing more than every single one of them wiped off the face of this planet. That's all I cared about. But now, I keep reflecting back on it and wonder if it was just. What was I trying to accomplish? "

Adam could only contemplate on her answer

"Perhaps you should read this" Eve said passing a piece of text to A2.

 _He who plots to hurt others often hurts himself._ _He who fights monsters_ _should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. -F. Nietzsche_

 _I want to be a human being, nothing more and nothing less. ... I don't suppose we can ever stop hating each other, but why encourage that by keeping the old labels with their ready-made history of millennial hate?_ _-_ _I. Asimov_

"Humans can be mysterious indeed" Adam commented "Let these artifacts they left behind be of good use to you as well as they were us. Allow yourself to be enlightened by it and you shall soon see the truth."

"Who knows what you'll discover" Eve could only comment "Maybe you'll find that androids and machines aren't so different after all"

"Who knows Indeed" A2 shrugged before leaving int he opposite direction.

"Oh, I just wanted to say-" A2 turned around. Only to find that the two brothers were now dead on the floor before her. Behind them stood the apparition of herself, smirking deviously

"What can I say? They may look human, but those two admitted to being machines. They had what was coming to them. You'll thank me for this later."

She then decided that the best course of action was to knock some sense into herself, literally. With this she slapped her own apparition causing it to stagger it before grabbing it "Are you blind" she chided "Whether or not they were machines, those two were the ones showed me just how pointless this whole charade is, so let's just give it up and move on. I will say it again, no matter how many machines I kill, those we lost are never coming back. If you can't accept that, then you really are a fool"

"Me? A Fool. I'll make you eat those words" Phantasm A2 growled as she grabbed A2 by the neck before pointing to the corpses fo Adam and Eve. "Let the fate of these two remind you to NEVER forget what the machines have done to us! I almost myself poisoned by their lies, but it seems they seem to have gotten into your head. No matter, let me remedy that and knock some sense into you. "

With this Phantasm A2, threw to the throw before body-slamming her on her and bashing her face against the floor repeatedly. A2 tried to fight back against her reflection by taking out her type 4-O sword, but the phantasm was quick to grab it first and promptly used to stab A2 in the chest repeatedly, before leaving it buried there.

with this, the apparition of A2 left, leaving the Body of real A2 alongside those of Adam and Eve.

A2 suddenly jolted awake.

 _What was that? it wasn't real, was it?_

The Attacker Android couldn't comprehend what she had just experienced. She did have an encounter with two surprisingly intelligent machine lifeforms who looked exactly like humans. Right next to her laid a piece of paper with the text as it read

 _He who plots to hurt others often hurts himself._ _He who fights monsters_ _should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you._


End file.
